Pledge to Protect the Girl Child 2013

One of my office colleagues wondered the effectiveness of running a month-long nationwide campaign to protect the girl child.

To give you a little background, the Girl Pledge Campaign was launched on Dec. 01, 2013 by the humanitarian organization, Art of Living (AOL) with the support of UNICEF and MTV. The mission behind starting this event is to inspire people to pledge support to the girl child and influence decision-makers who can impact policy related to girls and women. The campaign, thus, aims to protect the girl child through awareness and commitment.

Coming back to my office conversation. My colleague questioned the benefits of giving pledge to people. She quickly remarked that (during the course of time) people will forget not only the words of the pledge but its significance too thereby bringing the situation back to square one. According to her, this is just a show-off kind of an event that will not bring any positive impact on the people. And she quoted the growing atrocities on women and girl child (as published almost daily in newspapers) to support her argument.

I was speechless at that time. It’s not because I was unable to find words to give her a reply, it’s because I want to give her a ‘fitting’ and a ‘logical’ reply. And for that, I decided to research a bit on the “Science Behind the Pledge.”

This led me to get in touch with a very passionate educationist - Muralidhar Koteshwar (@mkoteshwar). Below are his answers to my questions:-

Q.1) What is the psychology that works behind taking a pledge/oath?

The memory locations in the brain can only recall extreme inputs to the senses. Since a pledge or an oath taking ceremony has a lot of experiences with a sense of sacredness, it tends to get lodged in the memory.

Q.2) Why we expect people to follow/remember their pledge points?

It automatically gets lodged in the memory due to reason 1 above.

Q.3) What is the 'MAGIC' in a pledge?

So the memory periodically brings this back and pricks the conscience if the person tends to move away or has done nothing about it.

With the above answers I now realized the gravity of the pledge and why it is said that nations have transformed and revolutions have happened because of the 'PLEDGE'.

In fact, the work done by Martin Luther King in the United States is a fitting example of the significance of pledge. It’s amazing to note that around 250,000 people joined Martin Luther King in his pledge to improve civil rights in the United States. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, King pledged to combat the racial inequality (prevalent in the United States at that time) through non-violence.

Similarly, the Art of Living launched the “Billion Tree Campaign” in coordination with the United Nation's Environment Programme (UNEP) in Bangladesh in 2010. With the support of Marico Bangladesh, the Billion Tree Campaign had pledged 32,000 coconut trees in 64 districts of Bangladesh in the first phase.

The campaign raised awareness on the inter-dependence between humankind and the planet's ecosystems, as well as the linkages between tree planting and climate change mitigation, the restoration of biodiversity, air and soil quality and food security.

AOL started many more such events like Mission Green Earth.

Now, let us know the key points of this Girl Child Pledge 2013.

I Pledge that:

1. I will marry only after the legal age, which is 21 for boys and 18 for girls.
2. I will not participate in the marriage ceremony of anyone who is below the legal age of marriage. I will also persuade and inform my relatives and community not to do so.
3. I will not take dowry.
4. I will not allow sex determination tests to be carried out in my family. I will work as a community leader along with other members to stop sex determination tests from being carried out by my community members.
5. I will uphold and honour the rights of girls and support every action in my family for better education, nutrition and protection of girls and also ensure that she gets her legal share of property or inheritance.
6. I will always respect women and girls and never behave in an inappropriate manner with them whether at home, on the streets, at my workplace or anywhere else.
7. I will do everything in my power to protect all children from violence and child abuse physical, emotional or neglect of any other manner.

What do you feel about the above pledge? Do let me know your thoughts and comments on the same.

Why send your kids to Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra?

The reason is very simple: Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra replicates the same success formula that China follows to win the highest number of gold medals in every Olympic Games.

What is the Success Formula?

China manages to win lots of Olympic Gold Medals in the Olympics because they train their children right from the young age. Similarly, in Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra, the right kind of value-based education is imparted to children in the age group of 7-11 years on a regular basis in a play-way method (without the need for carrying any heavy books or cramming something for the test). This type of education positively mold children and help them become good citizens of the country and above all good human beings. This is certainly a matter of pride for the parents.

How this education is unique and different?

There is a common saying that, “Values make a man.” Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra concentrates on the all-round development of your children by teaching good values (compassion, co-operation, friendliness, smile, laughter, belongingness, caring for others, etc.) and traditions in a fun way. Children enrolled in Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra not only get exposure at various public events like the yearly Navaratri celebrations but also get to participate in various events organized at the Kendra-level from time-to-time like the celebration of different festivals. Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra has become all the more important for working parents who are unable to give a good amount of quality time to their children.

How teachers will look after my child?

Teachers of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra are not the ordinary persons. They are those who regularly do Pranayam, Dhyan, and Sudershan Kriya. These daily practices help them relate more closely with children and understand their unsaid feelings and expressions that we may tend to ignore or have no time to observe in today’s fast-paced lifestyle. They have been trained extensively on the effective, holistic, and spiritual way of managing the children and making kids learn even difficult topics, words, mantras, and shlokas with ease. Teachers of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra are a mixed blend of youth and experience that keeps all the sessions lively and full of fun. Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra teachers are those who love children, work selflessly, and just enjoy the company of kids.

Kids at the Naraina Vihar Kendra

How much is the fees for enrolling my child?

Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra sessions cost a penny. When you will compare its quarterly donation with the fees you pay for any other child’s activity, you will definitely get surprised. The donation amount thus collected is used for noble purposes and other non-profit activities undertaken by the Art of Living foundation. In other words, by enrolling your child in Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra, you are not only giving a gift of good moral values to your child but also donating your hard-earned money for charitable purposes.

Does my child really need this activity?

Just like Boost, Complan, Horlicks, etc., is added to the milk to make your child grow strong and healthy similarly complement your child’s school education with the education imparted at Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra. Thousands of children have already joined the Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra and are benefitting immensely. Have you joined the bus and enrolled your child?

Please feel free to contact our Central Office for your queries and we would be happy to help you shape your child’s bright future. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the above article are my own and the China example is given to make the point more clear and understandable.

Inspirational Performance by Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra Students

Children from two Sri Sri Sanskar Kendras in Central Delhi celebrated their first Annual Day at Railway Club, Panchkuian Road on Sunday, April 21, 2013.

The event was jointly hosted by Sri Sri Sanskar Kendras of Naraina Vihar and Panchkuian Road. Children who completed their 40 sessions were honored with certificates.

Started under the aegis of Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth, Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra is an initiative by the Art of Living. Each such Kendra organizes a weekend, two-hour interactive and playful session for children in the age group of 7-11 years. These sessions inculcate values and traditions in children for their all-round development, and include activities like (a) Inspirational stories, (b) Dadi Ma ke Nuskhe, (c) Games, and many other activities that make learning fun!

The event started with an address by the Central Team member Akhilesh ji, who informed parents about the exponential growth in Sri Sri Sanskar Kendras throughout India and abroad. His discussion was continued by Nitin Kathuria, the Delhi Coordinator of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra. He addressed the audience with “Namaste” and informed about the growth of both Sri Sri Sanskar Kendras and the qualified teachers throughout Delhi-NCR. It was heartening to hear that thousands of children are benefiting with our traditional and precious knowledge and are learning values through these weekly sessions.

The first performance by the children of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra of Railway Club was cheered with a clap by parents. The group sang two bhajans and did some exceptional yoga asanas. I especially liked the inspiring pencil story that taught us how to live like a pencil. The act lasted for around 40 minutes and was thoroughly enjoyed by parents.

It was followed by the performance of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra children of Naraina Vihar. The group started with a dance on an inspiring number followed by a play and beautifully sung bhajans. The teachers also could not resist the urge and participated with their center children in their last bhajan. Children were looking truly motivated.

Children with Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra certificates

Parents applauded the efforts of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra teachers in their feedback form and expressed their wish to increase the age group of participating children from the present limit of 11 years so that their children continue to benefit and gain more from such sessions.

The event ended with the award of certificates to the eligible children by the Railway Club Secretary, Mr. Kakaji, his wife, and the Delhi-NCR team member, Veena Khurana ji.

Many children shared their experiences of Sri Sri Sanskar Kendra. Let’s watch the experience of one such child: